Oral care device capable of producing and recording sound

ABSTRACT

An oral care device for providing a user the flexibility to play and record any type of music or sound they prefer on the oral care device in use. The oral care device may be any dental device that is capable of providing oral hygiene to a user of the device such as, e.g., a toothbrush.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an oral care device having the abilityto record, playback and re-record musical or other sound media forproviding a user the flexibility to play any type of sound media theyprefer. The oral care device can be used with various types of mediarecording devices that are capable of downloading, recording, storingand playing back sound media from different sources such as, i.e., acompact disc, cassette, computer or MP3 player.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

It is well known that toothbrushes have been provided with the abilityto play musical sounds or songs to a to allow the user to listen whilebrushing their teeth. A variety of musical toothbrushes have beendeveloped to encourage better brushing practice. Most commonly, themusical toothbrushes have a sound generating device either contained inthe handle portion of the toothbrush or attached to the outside of thehandle. The sound generating device contained within or attached to atoothbrush handle will play a set sound or musical note/song. Examplesof these musical toothbrushes are disclosed in U.S. patent applicationPublication 2004/000017 to Kumagai, discloses a toothbrush assembly witha sound generating function, which generates sound by the tooth-brushingmovement of the user. U.S. Pat. No. 5,572,762 to Scheiner, discloses atoothbrush with a sound generator activated by a switch on the handle ofthe toothbrush. U.S. Pat. No. 6,202,245 to Khodadadi, discloses amusical toothbrush with a digital sound generator disposed within thetoothbrush's handle.

Although these musical and/or sound generating toothbrushes providesounds varying from music to beeps or brushing instructions, theaforementioned toothbrushes do not allow the user to download or record,store, and playback music from different sources such as, i.e., acompact disc, cassette, computer, or MP3 player. This leads to thetoothbrushes losing their allure over time and therefore lose efficacyin solving the problem of better brushing practice.

In this regard, the oral care device according to the present inventionsignificantly overcomes the restrictions of the prior musicaltoothbrushes mentioned above, and consequently provides the user withvariety in the type of music he or she would like to listen to whilebrushing their teeth. Furthermore, the user of the present inventionwould also have the ability to download or record, store and playbackmusic from various media sources an unlimited amount of times.

Therefore, there is a continuing need for a musical toothbrush that hasthe ability to record, re-record and playback music from various mediasources to provide the user with a variety of musical types during theuser's brushing regimen.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an oralcare device including a recording and playback mechanism; a means forconnecting to a media source; a speaker; and an activating means forcontrolling the recording and playback mechanism.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an oral caredevice including a music playback device having an integrated circuitchip, a speaker and means for controlling the music playback device.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide an oralcare device including a storage decoder playback device and a speaker,wherein the oral care device has a connection capable of inputtingexternal data.

In order to achieve the above objectives, in accordance with a firstembodiment of the present invention there has been provided an oral caredevice including a recording mechanism and a playback mechanism. Theoral care device is capable of recording audio from various externalmedia devices and includes a connection means for receiving audio fromvarious external media devices; a control means for controlling therecording and playback mechanism; an audio output means for hearingplayback audio; and a power supply for making the playback deviceoperative. The control means for this embodiment may be in the form of arecord switch and a playback switch. The power supply may be a DCbattery or a connection for an AC power outlet.

In accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention, therehas been provided an oral care device including a removable musicplayback device wherein a pre-recorded musical integrated circuit chipis capable of being inserted into a slot of the playback device forplaying pre-recorded music on the circuit chip; a control means forcontrolling the playback device; an audio output means for hearingplayback audio; and a power supply for making the playback deviceoperative. The control means is a playback switch, which activates thesound of the music. The audio output means is a speaker or and earphoneport for connecting a headphone for private listening. The power supplymay be a DC battery or a connection for an AC power outlet.

In accordance with a third embodiment of the present invention, therehas been provided a toothbrush including a storage decoder playbackdevice for receiving downloadable music from files stored on a computer;a connection means for connecting the toothbrush's playback device to anexternal computer; control means for controlling the playback device; anaudio output means for hearing playback audio; and a power supply formaking the playback device operative. The control means is a playbackswitch, which activates the sound of the music. The audio output meansis a speaker or and earphone port for connecting a headphone for privatelistening. The power supply may be a DC battery or a connection for anAC power outlet.

These aspects and other objects of the invention, along with anassortment of other advantages will be made more clearly in connectionwith the following description of the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a right side view of the oral care device in accordance with afirst embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a right side view of the oral care device in accordance with asecond embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a right side view of a oral care in accordance with a thirdembodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The oral care device with record and playback functions according to thepreferred embodiments FIGS. 1-3 of the present invention will bedescribed with reference to the accompanying drawings.

An oral care device in accordance with one embodiment of the presentinvention is shown generally at 1, FIG. 1. The oral care device 1includes a head portion 2 affixed to a handle portion 3. The headportion 2 is capable of providing oral hygiene to a user of the oralcare device 1. The handle portion 3 is adapted to be held by a user ofthe oral care device to enable the user to comfortably insert the headportion 2 into the oral cavity in use. The head portion 2 may optionallybe detachable from the handle portion 3. When the head portion isdetachable, it may be releaseably attached to the handle portion 3 byany suitable connection means known in the art, including, but limitedto a friction fit, screw and thread, snap fit, and the like andcombinations thereof. The head portion 2 can be formed as anon-detachable unitary structure with the handle portion 3 (not shown).When the oral care device is a toothbrush, the head portion 2 mayinclude a neck portion 4 and bristles 5 extending from a surface of thehead portion. When the oral care device is a flossing device, the headportion will be in the form of a dental floss holder. The exact form ofthe head portion is not, per se, critical to the invention, provided ofcourse that the oral care device is capable of providing an oral hygienefunction for the user and may be a toothbrush, flossing device or anyother well known dental care devices known in the art.

The handle portion 3 has generally cylindrical configuration with ahollow interior portion, an external surface, a proximate end and adistal end. The handle portion 3 has a gripping portion 6 for securehandling of the toothbrush. The gripping portion may be a made ofthermo-plastic elastomer (TPE), silicone, polyurethane, vulcanizedrubber or any other gripping material known to the skilled artisan. Thehandle 3 contains a hollow interior 7 which can be formed throughconventional plastic forming processes such as inert gas or pinprocesses. The hollow interior 7 houses a power supply 10, a recordingdevice and playback device 11. As shown in FIG. 1, the recording deviceand playback device are formed as an integral unit. In an alternativeembodiment (not shown) the recording unit may be separate and detachablyreleased to the playback unit to permit the recording process to beperformed external to the oral care device. The recording and playbackdevice 11 is coupled with the power supply 10. The power supply 10 maybe, but is not limited to a DC power source, such as a battery or may bean AC power outlet. When the DC power source is a battery, the batterycan be any of the conventional battery sizes including, but not limitedto, N, AA, AAA or rechargeable. The battery may be of the rechargeableor disposable type. The recording and playback device 11 can be, but isnot limited to, a digital recorder and playback unit or an analogrecorder and playback unit. The recording and playback device 11 canpreferably record and re-record music an unlimited amount of times. Inaccordance with a preferred embodiment, the duration of the recordedsound media is from 1 to 3 minutes and most preferably has a duration of2 minutes.

The handle portion 3 further contains a detachable opening 9 forinserting power supply 10. The detachable opening 9 is preferably at thedistal end of the handle and may optionally include an audio outputsource 14. The audio output source 14 can be, but is not limited to, aspeaker, earphone bud, a headset, Piezo transducer, flame speaker orcapacitance. The audio output device 14 may be located anywhere alongthe length of the handle portion 3 and is preferably located in aportion of the handle portion 3 that is not intended to be covered by auser's hand in use. The handle portion 3 is provided with a controlmeans for controlling the record and playback device 11. In a preferredembodiment, the control means is located on an external surface of thehandle portion 3. The control means 8 may be in the form of pushbuttons, switch means, voice activation, motion activation and the like.The handle portion is further provided with a connection means 13 thatis adapted to connect the record and playback device 11 with an externalmedia device. The connecting means 13 can be wireless or a directconnection and is capable of transferring either digital or analog musicor sound from a compatible external media device. A suitable mediadevice capable of connecting to the musical toothbrush 1 throughconnection means 13 are CD players, cassettes players, record players,MP3 players, or any variety of music producing devices known to thoseskilled in the art.

Referring now to FIG. 2, another oral care device 21 in accordance withthe second embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG.2. Theoral care device of this embodiment incorporates a music receivableplayback device 35. In accordance with this embodiment of the invention,the playback device 35 plays music that is pre-recorded on a removablestorage device. The music receiving playback device 35 is housed withinthe interior of the handle portion 23. The playback device 35 has anopening 28 extending to the exterior surface of the handle portion 23for receiving the removable storage device, which for purposes ofillustration is a pre-recorded storage IC card 12. The pre-recordedstorage IC card 12 can store a predetermined amount of information.Pre-recorded storage IC cards are commercially available from the HasbroCompany as HIT-CLIPS®. Interior portion 27 also houses a power supply 29that is coupled with the playback device 35. The distal end of thehandle portion 23 locates an audio output means 31 for sounds to beheard by the user during brushing.

The musical toothbrush 21 includes a detachable head portion 22 and ahandle portion 23. The head portion 22 can be release-ably attached tothe handle portion 23, by way of a friction fit, screw and thread, snapfit or any other suitable connection means known in the art. The headportion 22 can be non-detachable member as well. The head portion 22consists of a neck portion 24 and bristles 25. The head portion 22 canbe, but is not limited to a toothbrush head or a dental floss holder orany dental device known in the art. The handle portion 23 has agenerally cylindrical configuration with a hollow interior portion 27,an external surface, a proximate end and a distal end. The handleportion 23 has a gripping portion 26 for secure handling of thetoothbrush.

An LED display screen 32 is positioned on the exterior surface of thehandle portion 23 for viewing a mode or function of the playback device35. A control panel 33 is located on the exterior surface of the handleportion 23 with control push buttons 34 located thereon for controllingplay of the playback device 35. A plurality of connection ports 36 arelocated on the exterior surface opposite the control panel 33 forconnecting exterior devices.

Referring now to FIG. 3, another musical toothbrush 41 in accordancewith the third embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG.3.The musical toothbrush of this embodiment incorporates a data storagedecoder playback device 45. The data storage decoder playback device 45can be but is not limited to, an MP3 player, M4P, RA, WAV and DIMI. Themusical toothbrush 41 includes a detachable head portion 42 and a handleportion 43. The head portion 42 can be release-ably attached to thehandle portion 43, by way of a friction fit, screw and thread, snap fitor any other suitable connection means known in the art. The headportion 42 may also be non-detachable, that is permanently attached tothe handle portion 43. The head portion 42 consists of a neck portion 44and bristles 46. The head portion 42 can be, but is not limited to atoothbrush head or a dental floss holder or any dental device known inthe art. The handle portion 43 has a generally cylindrical configurationwith a hollow interior portion 47, an external surface, a proximate endand a distal end. The handle portion 43 has a gripping portion 48 forsecure handling of the toothbrush.

The interior portion 47 houses the data storage decoder playback device45, a power source 40 and an audio output device 50. The power source 40can be but is not limited to a DC battery or AC power source. The DCbatter can be but is not limited to, N, AA, AAA or rechargeable. Theaudio output device 50 can be but is not limited to a speaker, headphoneport or a microphone.

The exterior surface of the handle portion 43 includes a control panel51 with control push buttons 52 for controlling the data storage decoderplayback device 45 an optional LED display screen 54 for viewing a modeor function of the data storage decoder playback device 45. A pluralityof wire connection ports 53 are located on the exterior surface of thehandle portion. The plurality of wire connection ports 53 can be but arenot limited to, USB, R232, RS-422 or RS-485. Each connection portfacilitates downloading data from various media devices to be saved onthe data storage decoder playback device 45.

In use the first embodiment of the present invention the oral caredevice 1 functions when a user attaches a wire to the connection means13 and a media player's audio output port such as a CD player. Once theconnection is made the user can press the control mean buttons foractivating recording, after recording is complete the music will besaved on the recording and playback mechanism 11, and can be played backat the users choosing. In addition to the first recording the user mayre-record over the last recording an unlimited amount of times to changethe music stored on the recording and playback mechanism 11.

The second embodiment of the present invention functions with apre-recorded storage IC card 12 and a music receiving playback device35. The user can select from a desired pre-recorded storage IC card,which can be inserted into the opening 28. Control buttons 34 initiateplay or stoppage of the recorded music on the IC card. Once play isinitiated sound will be push through the audio output source 31. Afteruse the user can select a different IC card for listening to a differenttype of music.

The third embodiment of the present invention uses a data storagedecoder playback device 45. The oral care device of this embodiment usesa wire connection from a computer's USB port, a wave file or any othercompatible file type is then downloaded from the computer totoothbrush's data storage decoder playback device. After downloadedinformation is complete the data storage decoder playback device willhave stored information to be played back when the user is ready tobrush their teeth, floss or any other oral procedure known in the art.Different information can be stored an unlimited amount of times for avariety of musical sounds.

Various modifications of the present invention, in its variousembodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of theprinciples of the invention. The scope of the invention being indicatedby the appended claims, rather than the foregoing description, and allchanges which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of theclaims are, therefore, intended to be embraced therein.

1. An oral care device that is capable of playing and recording sound,comprising: a head portion affixed to a handle portion, the head portionbeing capable of providing oral hygiene to a user of the oral caredevice, the handle portion being adapted to be held by a user of theoral care device to enable the user to comfortably insert the headportion into an oral cavity in use, the handle portion containing; arecording and playback mechanism; connecting means for external media; apower source; an audio output means; and an activating means forcontrolling the recording and playback mechanism.
 2. The oral caredevice of claim 1, wherein said oral care device is a toothbrush.
 3. Theoral care device of claim 1, wherein said oral care device is a dentalfloss device.
 4. The oral care device of claim 1, wherein said recordingand playback mechanism is a digital record and playback device.
 5. Theoral care device of claim 1, wherein said recording and playbackmechanism is an analog record and playback device.
 6. An oral caredevice for playing sound, comprising: a music receiving playback device;an IC card; connecting means for external media; a power source; anaudio output means; and an activating means for controlling the musicreceiving playback device.
 7. The oral care device of claim 6 wherein,the music receiving playback device is a digital music receiving andplayback device.
 8. The oral care device of claim 6 wherein, the musicreceiving playback device is an analog music receiving and playbackdevice.
 9. The oral care device of claim 6 wherein, the IC card is arecord-able IC storage card.
 10. The oral care device of claim 6wherein, the IC card is a pre-recorded IC storage card.
 11. An oral caredevice capable of playing music, comprising: a data storage decoderplayback device; connecting means for external media; a power source; anaudio output means; and an activating means for controlling the datastorage decoder playback device.
 12. The oral care device of claim 11,wherein said oral care device is a toothbrush.
 13. The oral care deviceof claim 11, wherein said oral care device is a dental floss device. 14.The oral care device of claim 11, wherein said data storage decoderplayback device is an MP3 player.